Much of what the Titans are doing this offseason is focused on helping young quarterback Jake Locker realize his potential.

Hiring tight ends coach George Henshaw was no exception.

In Henshaw’s previous tenure as an offensive assistant with the Titans, from 1997-2005, Tennessee tight ends lined up in a variety of sets and caught 845 passes, more than any other group in the league over that period.

The strategy of throwing plenty of passes to tight ends during that time was a big reason former Titans quarterback Steve McNair saw his completion percentage jump, from 52 percent in his first year as a starter to — eventually — six straight years over 60 percent in Tennessee.

The Titans would love to see the same kind of progress in Locker. He finished his first season as a starter with a 56.4 percent completion rate, one that was lower than 11 of the NFL’s 12 starting playoff quarterbacks.

“If you want to get your percentages up, from a quarterback’s point of view, it just stands to reason that the shorter the throw, the more accurate it should be,” said Henshaw, one of three assistants added to the staff since the end of last season.

“(Defenses) are very sophisticated outside in terms of trying to take dominant receivers away. But inside, you’re working usually one-on-one against a safety or a linebacker, and it’s also a shorter throw for the most part. That’s where you get your percentages up.”